In 1992, Sen. Biden said Congress “should not name a nominee until after the November election is completed.”

Biden’s “Get in the Action with Freaky Fast Energy” rapid response team (G.A.F.F.E.) quickly got to work reminding everybody that the meaning of words has completely changed since 1992:

Hours after archival C-Span video clips of the speech began circulating, Mr. Biden issued a statement saying that his remarks had been misinterpreted, and stressing that he believed, then and now, that the White House and Congress should “work together to overcome partisan differences” on Supreme Court nominations. He had a record of moving such candidates during his time as chairman of the judiciary panel, he said.

“Some critics say that one excerpt of my speech is evidence that I oppose filling a Supreme Court vacancy in an election year,” Mr. Biden said. “This is not an accurate description of my views on the subject.”

In the same ’92 speech, Biden did in fact say that he wouldn’t necessarily oppose filling a Supreme Court vacancy in an election year — just not thatelection year:

Officials at the White House and on Capitol Hill noted that Mr. Biden had also said in the 1992 speech that he would support a future Supreme Court nominee by Mr. Bush as long as the president consulted with the Senate or chose a moderate. Mr. Biden made that observation as he discussed how the confirmation process could be changed “in the next administration,” should he remain as chairman.

President Obama agrees with Biden, both then and now, so at least they’re on the same page.

Update:

Chuck Schumer said yesterday his previous comments about election-year SCOTUS nominations don’t matter — and neither do Obama’s, Biden’s or Reid’s. At least he admitted that nothing they say is to be believed.